Make your own ultimate cheese pizza from dough to toppings, kneading, spreading sauce, adding cheeses, and baking safely with adult supervision.


Step-by-step guide to make the ultimate cheese pizza
Step 1
Wash your hands with soap and warm water for 20 seconds so your pizza stays clean and safe.
Step 2
Activate the yeast by mixing warm water sugar and active dry yeast in a small bowl and waiting until it looks foamy about 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 3
Measure 2 cups of all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large mixing bowl and stir them together.
Step 4
Pour the foamy yeast mixture into the flour bowl and stir with a spoon until a rough dough forms.
Step 5
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for 5 to 7 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
Step 6
Lightly oil a clean bowl and place the kneaded dough inside so it won't stick.
Step 7
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in size about 30 to 60 minutes.
Step 8
Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and put a baking sheet or pizza pan inside to heat.
Step 9
Punch the risen dough down to gently remove the air bubbles.
Step 10
Shape the dough into a pizza round about 10 to 12 inches across using a rolling pin or your hands on a floured surface.
Step 11
Transfer the shaped dough to the hot baking sheet or pizza pan carefully.
Step 12
Spread pizza sauce evenly over the dough with the back of a spoon leaving a 1 inch edge for the crust.
Step 13
Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and your extra cheeses evenly over the sauce.
Step 14
Ask an adult to place the pizza on the hot baking sheet into the oven bake it for 10 to 15 minutes and then remove it with oven mitts to set on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes.
Step 15
Share a photo and a short story about your ultimate cheese pizza on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!

Help!?
If I can’t find active dry yeast or all-purpose flour, what can I use instead?
If you don't have active dry yeast, use instant/rapid-rise yeast (add it straight to the flour and skip the 5–10 minute foaming step) or, as a last resort, 1 tablespoon baking powder in the flour, and if you lack all-purpose flour try bread flour or whole-wheat flour but expect a firmer crust and possibly add a little extra water when forming the dough in step 4.
What should we do if the dough doesn't rise or the yeast doesn't get foamy?
If the yeast doesn't foam in 5–10 minutes or the dough hasn't doubled in 30–60 minutes, make sure the 'warm water' in step 2 is about 105–115°F (40–46°C), that you added the sugar to feed the yeast, and move the covered bowl to a warmer spot or try fresh yeast before continuing.
How can we adapt the steps for different age groups?
For ages 3–6 use store-bought dough and let them spread sauce (step 12) and sprinkle mozzarella (step 13), ages 7–12 can measure, mix, and knead for the 5–7 minute step 5 with guidance shaping the 10–12 inch round in step 10, and teens can safely activate the yeast, preheat the oven to 220°C (step 8), and place the pizza in the oven with adult supervision.
What are some easy ways to extend or personalize our ultimate cheese pizza?
To personalize the pizza, mix grated Parmesan or cheddar with the shredded mozzarella in step 13, brush the 1-inch crust edge with olive oil from step 3 plus garlic before baking at 220°C, try different sauces in step 12, or create a themed photo and short story to post on DIY.org after cooling.
Watch videos on how to make the ultimate cheese pizza
Facts about cooking and baking for kids
🌍 Americans eat roughly 3 billion pizzas a year — about 23 pounds of pizza per person annually.
🧀 Mozzarella was originally made from Italian water buffalo milk and is prized for its creamy melt on pizza.
🍕 Pizza as we know it was popularized in Naples, Italy — the Margherita honors Queen Margherita with tomato, mozzarella, and basil.
🔥 Traditional wood-fired pizza ovens can reach 800–900°F (425–485°C) and can bake a Neapolitan pizza in about 60–90 seconds.
👩🍳 Kneading develops gluten strands that give pizza crust its chewiness — hand-kneading usually takes about 8–10 minutes.


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